On Sunday, the White House released a comprehensive list of the impact the possible sequester cuts will have on each state if an agreement is not reached by Congress before March 1st. The list revealed shocking cuts to programs heavily relied upon by women in each state. If the sequester goes into effect, one of […]
A group of 72 members of Congress submitted a request last week to the Government Accountability Office (GAO) urging the organization to investigate multiple pro-choice organizations, including Planned Parenthood. The request [PDF] asks the GAO to track the government funding of Planned Parenthood Federation of America, the International Planned Parenthood Federation, the Population Council, the Guttmacher Institute, […]
Microsoft launched a new program in India to encourage more girls to take up careers in technology, the Times of India reports. “India DigiGirlz” aims to drive high school girls towards science and engineering fields by giving them the opportunity to participate in workshops and connect with Microsoft’s employees. Microsoft’s DigiGirlz program was founded in […]
Last night, The Invisible War, a documentary on rape in the United States military, was considered for the 2013 Oscar for “Best Documentary Feature.” The Invisible War chronicles the ongoing epidemic of rape and sexual assault perpetrated within the ranks, and the military’s failure to adequately prosecute the perpetrators of such crimes. In addition to […]
A vote in the Oklahoma state Senate on a bill that would allow employers to deny contraception and abortion coverage for women in insurance plans passed the Senate Business and Commerce Committee. Senate Bill 452, introduced by Senator Clark Jolley (R) and Senator Pam Peterson (R), passed on a vote of nine to zero last […]
South Korea’s first female president, Park Geun-hye, was sworn in Monday. Her election was an historic event for a country where women earn forty percent less than men, and women’s groups hope that Park’s presidency will include many advances in gender equity. She has nominated two women for Cabinet posts so far. The current priority […]
The Violence Against Women Act (VAWA) could be brought up in the House of Representatives as early as next week. According to news reports, House Republican leadership are poised to bring VAWA to the floor for discussion. As of now it is unclear if they will bring the inclusive version passed by the Senate last […]
Maryland Governor Martin O’Malley’s bill to abolish the death penalty has passed in the state Senate Judicial Proceedings Committee on a 6 to 5 vote. The bill will now move to the Senate floor, where it is expected to pass. Twenty-six of the Maryland Senate’s forty-seven members have pledged to support the bill. Senator Brian […]
The South Dakota state House passed a bill that could extend the time women seeking an abortion must wait before having the procedure Wednesday evening. House Bill 1237 would exclude Saturdays, Sundays, and holidays from being included in the already-mandated 72 hour waiting period. This could greatly extend the time a woman would have to […]
Universal Orlando, a Florida based theme park based on Universal Studios films, will not offer health benefits to part time employees beginning next year, citing provisions in Obamacare. According to the Orlando Sentinel, Universal Orlando currently offers part-time employees limited insurance benefits that feature a cap on payouts. Under the Affordable Care Act (ACA), insurance […]
The first female members of Saudi Arabia’s Shura Council were sworn in by King Abdullah on Tuesday. The Shura Council, composed of 150 members, councils the government in decisions regarding legislation. However, the Council does not have legislative powers itself and all members are appointed by the king. 30 women now hold seats on the […]
An Alabama lawmaker justified a new TRAP (Targeted Regulation of Abortion Providers) that could potentially shut down the handful of clinics currently open in in the state by arguing that a fetus is the largest organ in the female body on Tuesday. In an interview about the legislation, state Representative Mary Sue McClurkin (R-Pelham) told […]
Earlier this month six Georgia lawmakers, Representatives Dustin Hightower (R), Mike Dudgeon (R), Buzz Brockway (R), Josh Clark (R), Kevin Cooke (R) and Delvis Dutton (R) introduced legislation that would repeal the Seventeenth Amendment. The Seventeenth Amendment ensures that senators will be selected by voters rather than chosen for them by state legislatures. House Resolution […]
When I was a little girl, I always wanted Bangladesh to be famous. I did not like that whenever people asked me where I was from I would have to explain, “Bangladesh, this tiny country on the East of India.” Why could people not just know where my Motherland was? At the age of 18 […]
New York Governor Andrew Cuomo (D) will include a section on expanding and protecting abortion rights in the state of New York as part of a Women’s Equality Act. The Reproductive Health Act would expand the conditions under which a woman could have a late abortion in the state to include when the mother’s health is in […]
Mississippi finally officially ratified the 13th Amendment to the United State Constitution, which banned slavery in 1865. The state legislature unanimously voted on a resolution to ratify the amendment in 1995 and was the last state to do so. However, the resolution was never filed with the US Archivist in the Office of the Federal […]
Tens of thousands of people marched on Washington over the weekend in the largest demonstration on climate change in the history of the United States. More than 50,000 people marched through the streets and demonstrated on the National Mall as part of the “Forward on Climate Change” rally organized by the Sierra Club and 350.org. […]
The Illinois state Senate voted 32 to 21 in favor of a bill that would legalize same-sex marriage on Thursday. The law would redefine marriage as the legal union of two people, not specifically a man and a woman. It would also convert civil unions to marriages within a year’s time. Religious institutions and individuals […]
Senate Bill 2795, also known as the “Women’s Health Defense Act,” [PDF] passed in the Mississippi Senate yesterday on a 39 to 12 vote. The Mississippi State Medical Association, concerned that the regulations would potentially criminalize abortion providers, released a memo which stated, “Mississippi physicians have strong and serious concerns about SB 2795.” The language […]
The Arkansas “heartbeat” bill that is currently being debated in the Arkansas state House could ban abortion after 12 weeks and be voted into law without the governor’s approval. Earlier this month, the Arkansas state Senate passed the Human Heartbeat Protection Act on a 28 to 6 vote. This act would require women who are seeking to […]
